Apple HomeKit automation may get here a little later than expected

Apple first announced HomeKit at WWDC 2014 when drawing the curtain back on iOS 8. HomeKit would allow iOS software to talk with home automation products, and with features like voice control through Siri, it all sounded very promising – except we’ve still yet to see it arrive. While Apple never publicly offered a specific date for when that might happen, some of its HomeKit hardware partners had been talking about their HomeKit-compatible products launching in May or June. Now a new rumor suggests that Apple is pushing back its timetable, and instead we’re looking at a late summer HomeKit launch.

While it’s possible we might get a smaller announcement before then, sources point to the big HomeKit push not arriving until August or September.

Reports suggest that system complexity quickly got out of hand, and Apple is looking to ways to streamline things before HomeKit is ready to face users. That’s rumored to include efforts to improve the sign-in and configuration process, making it easier for new users to get started with the system.

This year’s WWDC begins on June 8. Even if everything’s not ready to go live just yet, expect at least some HomeKit news to emerge.

Update: Apple has already responded to these rumors, insisting that HomeKit hardware is very much on schedule to premiere next month.

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen’s first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he’s convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he’s not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bits